Collaboration

New Edison Elementary School, view from south (Mahlum Architects with Robertson/Sherwood/Architects pc)

As a smallish architectural practice, my firm—Robertson/Sherwood/Architects (RSA)—embraces the reality of pursuing work in the small-to-medium-sized Eugene-Springfield market. This reality includes adaptation as generalists. We would not have survived and thrived for as long as we have if we instead had focused on a few, very specific areas of expertise. This strategy has served us well—allowing us to successfully navigate our way across the crests and troughs of a capricious economy—but it also has meant we cannot always claim a depth of experience and capability our potential clients consider as preconditions to selection for their important projects. Accordingly, we have often teamed up with prominent firms of regional and national reach and reputation to pursue the larger, more complex assignments we covet. These collaborators provide expertise and experience complementary to ours, thereby enhancing our prospects for obtaining these significant commissions. 

Some of RSA’s most noteworthy projects were the product of associations with larger, highly regarded architectural offices. These include the Eugene Public Library (with Shepley Bulfinch), the Springfield Justice Center (with ROSSER International), the Corvallis Clinic Surgery Center (with Boulder Associates), the Lane Community College Downtown Campus (with the SRG Partnership and Pyatok Architecture & Urban Design), the University of Oregon Student Recreation Center (with RDG Planning & Design and Poticha Architects), Civic Park (with Skylab Architecture), and multiple K-12 school projects with Mahlum Architects. In each instance, we worked collaboratively with our partners to design the project. In the process, we learned about how these firms go about their business, gaining valuable insights into their organizational structures, methodologies, and cultures. 

Typically, as the locally based firm with established ties to the clients, RSA serves as the executive architect/architect-of-record. We hold the prime design contract with the client/owner. In this capacity, we provide project oversight, technical expertise, and leadership to ensure an integrated project process. We also bring to the table our knowledge of local conditions, established relationships with authorities having jurisdiction and familiarity with their processes, and a rapport with local builders. The firms we collaborate with—though usually much larger than us and with more resources at their disposal—usually function as consultants to us. From the perspective of our clients, our design partners are subcontractors with whom they have no direct contractual ties. 

There are various legal arrangements available for formalizing the relationship between partnering design firms. The prime + subcontractor pact we most often use is one option. Another is a true joint venture, wherein the two parties form a partnership for a specific project. Party A and Party B create an altogether new entity— AB—to provide services to the client. A problem with joint ventures is the amount of legal planning necessary to form one; this involves negotiating the level of financial contribution and risk each party will assume. A third option is a multiple-prime arrangement, though the circumstances favoring such a relationship between primary design team members are infrequent and usually originate at the behest of the client (who may bring the collaborating firm to the project). 

An exception to the prevalence of instances wherein we have assumed the mantle of executive architect is our K-12 work with Mahlum. For these jobs, Mahlum has assumed the lead role. This is in part due to Mahlum’s long history with and high level of favorable recognition among school districts throughout the Pacific Northwest (for the other projects listed above, our collaborators were not always known quantities to the clients, and strategically and logistically it made the most sense for my office to take on project management and prime contractor duties). RSA and Mahlum have collaborated profitably since 2002, a testament to our mutual respect, a repeatable model for success, and compatible values and capabilities. 

Our long experience with Mahlum includes the following projects: 

• North Eugene High School Master Plan 
• Thurston Elementary School 
• Maple Elementary School 
• Roosevelt Middle School 
• Pleasant Hill School District Additions & Renovations 
• Eugene School District High School Education Specifications 
• Edison Elementary School 

Our work on the Edison Elementary School project for Eugene School District 4J, now in the Construction Documents phase, serves as an excellent case in point highlighting the pros of a favorable collaboration. Among these are sharing of technical expertise and know-how, improved economies of scale, and access to an opportunity we might otherwise not have been afforded if we both pursued it individually rather than as a combined team. Common technology platforms both firms use eliminate barriers to effective communication. This has proven especially true during the current work-from-home regime, with our mutual use of Revit for BIM, RingCentral for video conferencing and team messaging, Bluebeam for design reviews, and Miro for online collaboration. Working on a single integrated, cloud-hosted model has allowed us to develop the design from geographically remote locations. For all intents and purposes, we are functioning as a single office on the Edison project rather than as two separate firms. 

Mahlum and RSA negotiated an equitable split of project duties and our associated fees for the Edison job. The breakdown shifts from greater involvement by Mahlum during program verification, Conceptual Design, and Schematic Design, through a more equal division of labor during Design Development and Construction Documents, to heavier responsibilities for RSA during the permitting and Construction Contract Administration phases. Despite this typical assignment of tasks, my office is entirely involved during the early stages of the project. Mahlum welcomes our input during every phase of design, especially because of our intimate familiarity with District 4J and the Edison community; conversely, we expect Mahlum to remain engaged through construction and occupancy of the completed school. We’re all primarily responsible for what we’re best at. As the architects-of-record for Edison, Mahlum is fulfilling its project leadership and management duties. 

The fundamental reason our relationship is so effective comes down to our compatible cultures. Because of our long history together and familiarity with one another, the chemistry between RSA and Mahlum is immediately evident to our clients. Our partnership is truly synergistic and reciprocal. We share a commitment to integrated project planning. We have honed our management and communication processes, refining and testing them over the years. One of the most important aspects of our working relationship has been the development of a team atmosphere based on trust and a spirit of cooperation. The principles we abide by are similar, and the values we hold are in common. Neither firm is fraught with overbearing or clashing egos. The distinct absence of a dominant personality or personalities has fostered an egalitarian and consensus-driven approach to design. We do understand the value of compromise and when it is necessary and beneficial. 

Every opportunity I have had to work with Mahlum has been a treat. The same has been true with each of our other major collaborators. Obviously, we have chosen our partners well, but then again collaboration comes naturally to us. We are proof alliances between large practices and smaller firms can make good business sense for both parties. 

Ultimately, collaboration is a simple concept. Effective communication is crucial. So is maximizing each team members’ strengths, as well as giving credit to others for their contributions. Above all, the power of collaboration resides in the development of shared ideas and their effective implementation toward the best possible projects for our clients and the communities they serve. 

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As mentioned above, Mahlum and RSA are currently in the process of completing construction documents for the Edison Elementary School project. The design assumes entirely replacing the existing school, which is the oldest and in the poorest condition of all the 4J school buildings. Demolition of the old building will occur this coming winter, with construction of the new building immediately following. The new Edison Elementary School will be ready to welcome back its students in September 2022. 

Check out the video below for a 3D virtual tour through the new design.